My roommate (Linda - she asked me why I don't refer to people by their names before so here...) and I bought a lot of canned albacore at the beginning of the school year and realized that there is a lot left still. I took it upon myself to make a mission of making tuna-related dishes (I made fish cakes once really quickly) so a casserole popped up as something to make. I think it turned out quite well - check it out and tell me if you like this combination!

Step 1: Ingredients (serving size: 4-5 portions)

• black pepper, to taste
• garlic salt, to taste
• sour cream and onion potato chips, crushed
• 1/4 cup of yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of green peas
• 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 10.75 oz
• 2 cans of tuna, drained, 7 oz each
• 4 oz of macaroni pasta

Step 2: Mixing the ingredients
Start water to boil your pasta. Make sure the water is salted before you put in the pasta. Dice up your onion (refer to this link on how to avoid crying while cutting them). If your peas are frozen, defrost them. In a separate bowl, make sure to mix your cream of mushroom soup with water per the instructions on the can. Once the pasta is cooked, mix it altogether with the cheese, peas, tuna, and onion in your casserole dish. Salt and pepper to taste.


Step 3: Adding the soup and topping
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the ingredients have been mixed well, pour the cream of mushroom soup mixture over it all. Then, crush the potato chips over the casserole to create a heavy topping. If you have more cheddar cheese, sprinkle some of that over the top as well.

Place the casserole dish uncovered into the oven and let it bake for 25-30 minutes. The ingredients you put in there should all be ready-to-eat before baking anyhow. The pasta will soak up a little bit of the casserole sauce so hopefully your dish will turn out just right in terms of dryness or watery-ness. Enjoy the dish!

As my time at Duke comes to a close, I realize that I have quite a bit of food that must be consumed before I leave the apartment. This leads to quite a bit of scrambling to cook a lot and often. I needed to do something with the beef broth I had so after some searching on Supercook, I put together a delectable combination that my roommate likened to the base of shepherd's pie. I'm not sure if it was quite there but it was certainly filling nevertheless.

Step 1: Ingredients (serving size: 3-4 bowls)

• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup carrots, baby or diced
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can beef broth, 14 oz.
• 1.5 lbs. red potatoes, diced
• 2 tbsps Worchestershire sauce

Step 2: Cooking the ingredients
Cook your ground beef in a saucepan and season appropriately with your salt and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and carrots. Let the vegetables soften a little bit from the heat.


Step 3: Adding the broth
Pour in your beef broth and all remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch. Stir over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes and make sure that the broth is to taste. Mix your cornstarch with some water and pour into the mix. This will thicken the soup.


Step 4: Completing the soup
Lower the heat a little and let the soup simmer. You want the potatoes to get soft yet still hold their shape. When they can be broken apart with a little bit of pressure, take your dish off the heat and serve!

So after cutting up the butternut squash, I obviously had to use it somehow. I looked at what I had and constructed something deliciously wonderful! I hope it's as good for you as it was for me. This is more of a side dish but I didn't have any qualms about just snacking on small bowls of it.

Step 1: Ingredients (serving size: 3-4 dinner side portions)

• olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• nutmeg
• cinnamon
• honey
• 1 butternut squash, diced

Step 2: Mixing the ingredients
Preheat the oven for 400 degrees Fahrenheit. On a baking sheet, place your diced butternut squash and then drizzle with olive oil. Mix this up before you add the other ingredients so that the pieces are coated to receive the seasonings. Sprinkle on a little bit of salt and black pepper to taste. Then cover the pieces with nutmeg and cinnamon. No real measurements here because it depends on how heavy you want them. Save the honey for later. Stick it into the oven.


Step 3: Adding the honey
After 20 minutes, take the squash out of the oven and drizzle on the honey. How liberal you want to be is up to you but keep in mind that you already have some natural sweetness as well as nutmeg and cinnamon. Put the sheet back in the oven.


Step 4: Completing
After 15 minutes, take out the squash and let it cool. Then serve!

If you have ever been hesitant to purchase butternut squash to cook because you don't know how to approach cutting it apart, I don't blame you. That hardy squash (or any squash) looks quite daunting. It's very dense and can make you frustrated. However, make sure that you just have patience and stability. Being careless may result in injury when you are trying to coax your knife through this vegetable.


The first thing to do is to slice off the bottom and top of the squash. Try to do this evenly (I sort of failed) so that your squash will be level when you have to slice through it. This allows for a stable base. Also, you may notice in my pictures that my squash was not full - that's because I had already used it for something else earlier. It's the same concept though.


Next you need to peel the squash (unless you opt to keep the skin on). Use a strong vegetable peeler if you are not super adept with your knife. Make sure that it is a strong peeler because the skin of squash is thick and hard.


Next, split the squash in half. This will take some patience. Get a good cut into it first and then rock the knife back and forth slowly and evenly while it is in the squash. You don't want to just push down on the knife because it will not be as effective. If you have a rubber mallet, you can use this too to gently hit the blade.


Once you have split the squash, scoop out the insides with a metal spoon.


Now the rest is up to you in terms of how you want to prepare your squash. You could just leave it in halves and roast it that way. You can slice it or dice it. Whatever floats your boat. I hope this guide helped even if some of it may seem common sense!

Fairview Dining Room - Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, 3001 Cameron Blvd, Durham, NC 27705
Pricing - $$$$$ | Dining - Fancy, Dressy | Cuisine - American | Reservations - Recommended
http://www.washingtondukeinn.com/Dining/fairview.asp

I had a somewhat bad dining experience tonight, and it makes me disappointed because it was the first time at this restaurant (I've been a few times). I don't know if it was because we were there late at night near closing time or if the chef was just not on the ball but I was dissatisfied indeed. I went back to Fairview Restaurant at the Washington Duke Inn to have a celebratory end-of-the-year dinner with my fellow club officers from Circle K. The menu was full of spring-inspired dishes so I was excited about it.


The amuse-bouche was some type of smoked trout quiche that was a tad spicy. Nothing extraordinary to be honest. No exciting bread for the evening either.


I ordered the Ahi Tuna Tartare appetizer which came with a snap pea slaw, fried ginger, spicy avocado mousse, and roasted pepper oil. I quite enjoyed it but felt like the ginger came as too shocking the moments I came across it. The tuna was a bit too warm for my liking, and the dish itself probably would've been better complimented with crackers or crusty bread of some sort. Luckily I had ordered a glass of Verdejo-Viura (Bodegas Naia 'Las Brisas') to help. Excellent wine...mmm.


The disappointment of the evening was actually the entree - grilled bison medallions with cauliflower purée, wild mushroom ragoût, braised asparagus, and artichoke and green pepper hollandaise. I really liked everything but the way that the bison medallions were handled. The cauliflower was grit-like, and I love grits. The mushrooms were prepared very well and the asparagus still had a nice crunch in them. I had ordered the bison to be cooked medium rare but it was certainly rare when it came out. I notified the waiter when he came by and he agreed that it was much too rare so he took it back. However, what I got back looked just like they had popped the dish into the microwave instead of redoing it (like most restaurants do, with the entire plate). The first two pieces were fine but then the last medallion was still bloody and rare. At that point, my fellow diners had nearly finished their meals so I didn't bother to put up a fuss again. I just left it there. The presentation of the entree was nice however - I'll give them that. The preparation kept me away from having dessert. I wrote politely to them in their suggestion card so hopefully others will not experience this mishap.

In short, the evening's meal was not worth the $60 I paid.

Good golly it has been forever and a day since I last put up a recipe blog. I do really apologize for how far apart these are but I have not been cooking lately. Anyhow, my roommate and I bought a large bag of frozen strawberries one day on a whim and had not found a use for it until I claimed that I would make a strawberry pie. The pie itself turned out quite tasty though the consistency was not as great as hoped. I blame this on the fact that I used frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones (too much liquid was created) but hope that you will find a nice balance when you make this yourself!

Step 1: Ingredients (serving size: 9-inch pie)

• lemon juice, for preserving
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pie crust (pastry or graham based), 9 inch
• 1 1/2 quart of strawberries, fresh
• 3 tbsps cornstarch

Step 2: Working with the strawberries
Arrange 1 quart of the strawberries in your pie crust in a presentable manner. Crush the remaining strawberries in a saucepan on medium heat and add your sugar. Stir frequently. Add a little bit of lemon juice to help keep the color of the strawberries nice and red. Then mix the cornstarch with the water and add the mixture into your saucepan. Stir frequently until it comes to a boil.


Step 3: Making the pie
Let the sauce simmer for a little bit and then turn off the heat. You will then pour the sauce over the strawberries in the pie crust until a little less than completely full. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for a few hours before enjoying! As you can see, I made mine quite messy but I will fix the presentation in the future. The pie was nicely sweet but not overbearing. It was delicious.

Fishmonger's Restaurant and Oyster Bar - 806 W. Main Street, Durham, NC 27701
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Seafood | Reservations - Unnecessary
http://fishmongers.net/

Yesterday was the last day of Kevin's visits so we decided to go eat somewhere in Durham since we had just been eating on-campus or picking at the things I made. Since we woke up late and were going to have our lunch around 3:30 in the afternoon, Fishmonger's was one of the few choices available with a lunch menu at that time and at a location we could access through the Bull City Connector. I have always seen the place but had not stopped by. We walked in to an empty restaurant but I didn't think negatively of it because it was nearly 4pm when we got there. I had looked at the menu earlier to see what they offered and had been curious about their stingray.


However, I opted to go with the fish and chips because my friend was getting the stingray. I had nicely battered and fried pieces of cod that were flaky and rich in taste. I put a little bit of malt vinegar on them but it wasn't necessary. There was some good flavor in the frying and the batter itself already. The fries themselves were okay and the coleslaw was a tad sub-par. Nevertheless, the fish made up for those since it was the main part of the meal.


Kevin got the shrimp po-boy and though it was decent, I have definitely had better po-boys elsewhere (I got to try some of it). I'll blame it on the fact that it wasn't a Cajun or Creole themed place in part but I do have to say that the shrimp was fried nowhere nearly as well as my fish. Also, I've had better shrimp before too.


As for the "Philly Ray Cheesesteak" that my friend got that was hard to distinguished as stingray due to its being smothered in cheese. However, I also got a little bite of it and think that stingray is very similar to swordfish. Who would've thought? I assumed it would be more of a squid-like consistency. Oh well. I'll mark it off as another "exotic" meat that I have tried now. Overall, Fishmonger's was a decent place but it probably wouldn't be my first choice.

Plate & Pitchfork - Duke University, West Campus, Upper Union
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - French, Southern, Italian, etc | Reservations - Encouraged
http://dining.duke.edu/where/oncampus/plate_pitchfork.php


This on-campus eatery is only open from Monday-Friday from 5pm-10pm but is wonderful because it is made with local & organic ingredients and is available for purchase through Duke FoodPoints. Kevin was visiting for the weekend, and I wanted to give him a taste of something delicious and nice at Duke. This was the place to go, and the meal was certainly more than just a tad scrumptious. It's hard to place the cuisine here because the menu is sort of a hodgepodge of different things. I appreciated that because it gave good variety. We picked at the bread while we were deciding on the menu, and though it was very oily, it was perfectly soft and chewy with some crisp on the outside. Thumbs up on bread.


We started off with the Beer Braised Pork Belly which was braised in Fullsteam Brewery's "Hogwash" beer and served with Parmesan grits. The pork belly was succulent and tore away in neat strips. I really enjoyed the soft but firm texture that it had, and the flavoring was spot-on. The grits themselves had a nice level of Parmesan in them where it wasn't overbearing but still had a strong enough influence on the overall taste. I thoroughly enjoyed the greens that came with it too because it was tossed with a light and refreshing lime-like vinaigrette.


I ordered the Steak Frites which was a house sirloin with French fries and béarnaise sauce. The menu didn't actually note how big the steak was but boy oh boy was it huge. I'd say it was a nice 10+ oz and too much for me to handle. I loved how juicy it was though. The char on the edges was just the right amount to give a notion of crisp that worked well with the seasonings. I had ordered it medium rare which was cooked to the perfect point. I enjoyed my meal. The fries were shoestring style as well, my favorite kind.


Kevin ordered the Lobster Mac and Cheese which featured Fontina and Gruyere cheeses. I had a taste and fell in love with it. Though the cheeses may have been slightly overpowering over the taste of the lobster, the portions of lobster were generous and the cheeses melted to perfection. The breadcrumb crust on top of the dish added a delicious crunch to the soft and big noodles inside. Our friend had the Roasted Chicken with mashed potatoes and winter vegetables. I think that the chef did a great job of getting the chicken to the point right before it gets "dry" when being cooked. An overall fantastic meal - we didn't have room for dessert. Thumbs up to Plate and Pitchfork!

In honor of National Garlic Month (who the heck decides on these official days/months anyhow?), I have set out to read up a little bit more in-depth about this delightful vegetable. I certain use it in some shape or form in nearly everything I cook. There is just something quite fantastic about adding a bit of garlic powder to tenderize meat or stir-frying with minced garlic; I think that I just got really accustomed to eating tons of garlic in my food because my mom uses it in everything as well.

So fun thing to know about allium sativum is that it is related to onions, leeks, shallots, and chives. I suppose one could figure that out from its general shape but it is definitely somewhat still surprising. I mean, I never thought about garlic as growing similarly either so when I saw what natural garlic looked like, it was boggling. You can check out the picture below of what it looks like when it is taken out of the ground - looks like an onion doesn't it? The garlic that we typically consume is actually the bulb part of the plant. The sections into which a bulb is divided are called "cloves."


Garlic has both culinary and medicinal uses. Because of its antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, it has been used frequently to help with various ailments including preventative measures against cancers and to help with fighting infections. Countries which have high consumption of garlic on an everyday basis also have lower rates of cancerous illnesses. Upon being crushed, garlic releases antibiotic and antifungal "allicin" which contributes to the "heat" of garlic in taste and smell (when raw) and also has been used for home remedies (I once ate a raw clove of garlic slowly...and painfully...to get rid of a sore throat). In culinary uses, garlic is quite versatile. Crushed, minced, powdered, roasted, and as a paste are some ways we use the pungent, breath-staining bulb. Because of how easy it is to grow, garlic can be produced year-round and nearly everywhere.

Fun garlic facts:

• An adhesive used in fixing porcelain and glass in China uses the juice from garlic bulbs
• China produces 23 billion pounds of garlic annually and is thereby the largest producer
• One clove of garlic = 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
• Garlic stored in oil must be treated first lest it produce a deadly bacterium that can cause botulism
• It is "known" that garlic wards off vampires
• The human body does not build a resistance to garlic so its antibiotic traits are always effective
• Garlic hung on doors or above shops is believed to keep evil away and is still practiced today
• The garlic bulb is 84% water
• In Hinduism, garlic is believed to increase one's sexual desires
• Consumption of a lot of garlic is a common factor of causing halitosis
• There is a fear of garlic and it is called alliumphobia